Seam Hill
by HavishamWard
Summary: To get away from a dangerous past and to start a new life for his sister, Peeta Mellark starts a popular bakery in the small town of Seam Hill. His life soon becomes predictable and lonely. But when the world famous, not to mention beautiful Katniss Everdeen, visits Boston to work on her newest Oscar-worthy role, Peeta's world is turned inside out and upside down.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Seam Hill is a small town just outside of Boston. It's close enough to the city to make you feel you aren't in the middle of nowhere and far enough to avoid the hustle and bustle. There is one main road that goes straight through town called Huntington Road. If you keep going, it'll take you right down to Beacon Hill. Keep going past that, and you'll be at a Red Sox game. Huntington Road is a cobblestone street lined with shops with a variety of things to please anyone's desires. And on Saturdays, the road is closed to drivers in order to fit hundreds of tents and kiosks for the weekly Huntington Market. Everyone looks forward to the Market because they will find anything they want. From fresh vegetables and fruit, pastries and food trucks competing for best meal, to handmade jewelry and vintage dresses. There's even an older couple who sells old records.

When people visit Boston, they also come see Huntington Market. It's a charming main road with a lot of character shops with vines crawling up the red brick buildings. The variety of restaurants leave very little to be desired with Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean and even Indian foods, among others. Some tourists come here just to hear us 'Seam Hillians' talk, with our heavy Boston accents and superstitious histories, or to see where Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner live. Tom Brady can even walk down the Market with his family without really being bothered.

This is home to me.

I grew up 'next door' in Charlestown, Mass., where I grew up a little rough around the edges. Ma left us when I was sixteen. I didn't really care at the time, but it broke Pop's and Prim's heart. Dad was too soft and Prim was only ten at the time. After that, I was in deep with a few other guys from the neighborhood. Charlestown is home to some of the most notorious Irish gangs in the world and I spent a little too much time with my cousins, Rye and Bobbi Moran, who were just too thirsty for trouble. It wasn't until I watched Rye get popped by a drive by that I decided I was too close for comfort. Plus, my own Pop had a heart attack. I had just turned eighteen and Primrose was only twelve. That was my wake up call.

Pop left me everything; the house, the bakery and about $30,000 that no one ever knew he was hiding.

Of course, when you get tied up with all the wrong people, especially the Morans, you can't just walk away. It took me a while, but eventually, I was able to cut ties. One by one, they made stupid decisions and ended up with jail time, some in federal prison with life sentences. I was determined to keep my nose clean for my sister and the rest of the boys knew that. Some even respected me for it.

So we left, moved across town. Not far enough away to leave it all behind, but far enough to start fresh.

I sold the house and the bakery, just to buy a rundown store front on Huntington Road with a walk up two bedroom apartment above it. I used a little of that money Pop left to fix it up; put in a new kitchen with top of the line appliances, a few bistro tables and chairs, fresh paint and a nice glass case in the front. We called it Mellark's Bakery and painted the sign together. I got Prim into school at Seam Hill and hired a few people to work at the bakery so I could go watch her basketball games.

That was ten years ago.

To say we've been successful would be a major understatement. Turns out, Huntington Road really needed a bakery and there isn't a slow day of the week. At first, we only made bread and pastry items; donuts, Danishes and the like. But eventually, with the prompting from our employee Jo Mason, we added soup, sandwiches and rollers to the menu, along with coffees and soft drinks. Thanks to Jo, we have a wider range of customers throughout the day.

My days are all the same nowadays. With Prim around, I had something going on all the time. Of course, I have the Odairs, who live a few blocks down. They own the Italian place across the street, the busiest place on Huntington Road. Finn is from Italy and studied under some famous Italian chef that was famous for throwing plates when they weren't done exactly how he wanted them. Annie, his wife, was a nurse. A horrible car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She's got twice the strength a person with two working legs has.

Then there's Jo. I don't remember ever really hiring her. She just kept showing up and told me I wasn't doing this or that the right way. She lives down the road above the book shop. I've never asked but I think she had a bad past and I have never seen her with a guy before. Once, Prim asked her if she was a lesbian. Jo never answered, but I've never seen her laugh so hard. Jo was also someone who was there to help me out when Prim was going through… changes. I definitely wouldn't have been able to make it through that without her.

Prim calls almost daily, just to check on me, as if she's the one who worries about me. She lives almost an hour north and just got accepted into Harvard's Medical School a few weeks ago. I miss her just as much as I can say how proud I am of her. She graduated top of her class from high school and from college last may. When she told me she was applying to med schools, I honestly thought I would cry… or that my heart would explode from being too proud of her. She became my life and I would do just about anything for her.

Of course, there are nights when I also fill the void with different girls from the bar, if only for a night. The next morning, however, the void returns, even if the girl wants to stick around.

So this is my life in Seam Hill. You might think it didn't start out all that great, but I wouldn't trade it for the world now.

A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Seam Hill. Please review and let me know what you think. This is only the beginning, but the first chapter will be up soon enough. Katniss' character will come into play next.


	2. Chapter 1

It's Saturday, Market Day. I could hear people setting up carts and kiosks as early as four in the morning. It's the same vendors every week and we all come to know each other by name. I greet several different people as I set up our high top tables out front.

Magda, or Mags everyone calls her, sells thousands of pieces of handmade jewelry each week. They say she survived a nasty bout of throat cancer a few years ago, but has never been able to speak since. She carries an old slate tied around her neck and a piece of chalk in her pocket to communicate with others. She's an interesting old lady and is always kind, dressed in the same patched dress every week and a mismatched apron over it. She wears her jewelry proudly and her wild grey hair is always piled high on her head and held together by chop sticks. Prim has always been fond of her and would always take her a veggie roller for lunch, something I promised to continue doing after Prim left for school. When I take it to her with a glass of water, she always gives me the same gentle pat on the cheek with a loving smile.

There's a brother and sister who sell herbal medications and alternative medicines at their booth. I've never heard their names and I don't ask. I don't think anyone has. They are nice enough, just a little… different. They always seem to be high on something, but I know they don't mean any harm. Keeping Prim away from them was always a challenge. She was very interested in their herbal lotions, tonics and healing remedies. They seem to know not to try selling her anything though, by the looks I would give them. They come in for lunch every day too.

Then there's Beetee, who sells all kinds of lighting. He seems to make his products out of anything he can pull out of a storage shed. His most popular item is a lamp that looks like a tree. The leaves are made if different shades of green stained glass and some even have the fall colors in them. He also makes lamps from mason jars, which I bought for the bakery and also a few for our apartment. He's a nervous guy, a little awkward, but as nice as they come. He drinks most of our coffee, but I really can't find it in myself to charge him a dime.

Saturdays call for all hands on deck at the bakery, but today we're shorthanded. Jo had a wedding to go to out of state and she won't return until Tuesday and Pollux's wife just had another baby so he's out for another week.

Darius, Clove, Thresh and I are running things today. Darius does alright; he's just another different sort of guy. He rarely shows up on time, always forgets ingredients and eats more on the job than he should. He can clean well though so he is usually in the back cleaning up. Clove runs the cash register and takes the place of Jo, making all the coffee orders and soft drinks. Thresh runs the grill and makes all the soups and sandwiches with fresh ingredients that I get delivered from the meat market up town every morning. Pollux normally does our overnight baking. I've never met a more talented baker, even better than my Pop. Pollux mixes flavors perfectly and always comes up with a different bread of the day. There's always a wide variety of bagels, donuts, Danishes and muffins when he bakes and he makes everything look easy. Jo is great at making all different kinds of coffees and cappuccinos and does all our prep work. The things she can do with a knife are almost frightening.

The bell above the door signals our first customer of the day. I look up to see Finnick Odair, strutting his way inside in all his glory. He's always got a grin this early in the morning, even after staying up late until his restaurant closes.

"Peeta! Morning!" He greets me with his Italian accent.

"Morning, Finn," I say, matching his grin with my own Boston one.

My employees greet Finn too and Clove gets his take away bag ready for him. He gets the same thing every morning. Asiago cheese bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese for Annie and cinnamon crunch bagel with hazelnut spread for himself.

"You hear the news?" He asks me then.

Finnick is always the first to know everything in this town.

"The new Clint Eastwood movie is being filmed down by the Harbor. All the stars flew in last night, staying at the Ritz, I think," he says, watching me write the specials on the chalkboard, "They'll be filming right up town. Wouldn't it be cool to see Clint Eastwood?"

Being foreign, Finn has a small obsession with American movies. He grew up watching them and when he first came to Seam Hill, everything reminded him of the movies. It was almost embarrassing just to walk into a bar with him.

"Finn," I begin, shaking my head, "Mark Walberg won't even come to your restaurant anymore. After _Transformers_, you freaked out a bit…"

He shrugs, "the Affleck's love my place," he defends himself, "win some, lose some, yes?"

That's very true. Odairs Italian was once mentioned in one of Ben's interviews and Jennifer Garner sends them a Christmas card every year.

Finn leaves a little bit later, wishing everyone a happy market day.

Of course, I've heard Clint Eastwood's favorite directing place is Boston, but I never have really given it much thought. Back in 2003, they filmed _Mystic River_ in Charlestown. I walked right by Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon and didn't even realize it until I was a block over.

The way I see it, people are people, no matter what their job is. I know I wouldn't like a ton of people coming up to me and screaming and yelling and taking my picture, so I don't really get into it like other people do. Besides, the streets are even crazier when these famous people are being chased around town by fans and paparazzi. The only good thing that comes from this is the attention they bring to Seam Hill. There are plenty of people around to make a living when you're a store owner, but there's always extra money coming in when there's that many more people in town.

But as the busy day goes on, I forget all about that news Finn brought in that morning.

It isn't until a week later that I see her.

I'm sitting out in the front at lunch time and talking to Primrose on the phone when I see her all alone, walking from kiosk to kiosk, checking out everything the Market has to offer. She's already made the most of her trip to the Market because she's carrying a few shopping bags. She's dressed in black skinny jeans, grey tee shirt and red converse. Her hair is a dark auburn and pulled into a loose braid, but her skin is a contrasting olive color. She's smaller in person… or maybe I've only seen her in fancy ball gowns and stilettos. She's got the curves, but she's thin and her legs are long, but she's not really that tall. She doesn't look quite as statuesque as she does on TV. Her films make her look so… voluptuous, maybe. But here she looks almost normal, if it weren't for the ray of light that seems to follow her. Or maybe it's the fact that her demeanor almost screams tourist. She doesn't smile until she's at Mags' stand, looking through a basket of handmade lace bracelets. She has a beautiful smile.

"Peeta, are you there? Peeta? Did you hang up?"

"What? No, Prim, I'm here…" I say, shaking my thoughts away, but still watching her.

"I was saying that I have a date tonight…" Prim says, and this gets my attention.

"A date?" I say, finally looking away from Mags' beautiful customer, "With who? I thought we had a deal about me meeting them before you went out with them."

She actually laughs at me. I hate when she does that.

"Oh, come on," she says, "I haven't done that in years. I'm twenty-two years old."

I scowl even though she can't see me.

"He's taking me to the bodies' exhibit…" she goes on.

"You've seen that a hundred times," I interrupt.

"I know, but it's really cool."

I decide then that he's taking her somewhere she really likes and that it's also very public, which is a plus.

"Make sure you carry that pepper spray I got you," I tell her for like the millionth time in her life.

"Yeah, yeah…" I can hear her eyes roll, "Love you!"

She hangs up before I can respond, which only irritates me more.

As I put my phone in my pocket, I'm reminded of what distracted me in the first place when she's suddenly walking towards the shop… my shop. I am closer to the door than she is so I open it for her to go in ahead of me. She sees me and gives me a slight smile before lifting her sunglasses and placing them at the top of her head. Her eyes stop me dead in my tracks. Of course, I've seen them in the movies, but in person… they're the color of shiny steal. They make me feel cold and hot at the same time.

I go in behind her and try to look casual as I go back behind the counter and wash my hands. When I'm done, I stay back and pretend to look busy, but really I'm watching her as she waits in line. She reads the board carefully, trying to decide on one thing. I watch her full lips move just slightly as she goes through the list. And then she's next in line.

"I got this, Clove," I say, making my way in front of the cash register.

Clove looks slightly confused.

"Go ahead and take a break," I prompt her.

She shrugs and heads towards the back as I turn back to face my customer.

I give her a smile, trying my best to stay casual, "What can I get for you?"

She returns my smile, but it's timid, not the confident smile I see in the movies. And when she speaks, I swear she's got me. She's British.

"I'll take the veggie wrap, please," she says, "Could I have a little extra hummus, on a tomato basil tortilla?"

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod, "Anything else?"

"Yes," she thinks for a moment, "I would like a box of your pastries to go… Maybe like fifteen things or so… so everyone can have a taste of everything."

I nod, getting a pastry box ready.

"What do I owe?" she asks me then, reaching into her bag.

I clear my throat, "Nothing, it's on the house."

She looks disappointed and embarrassed, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she puts a black credit card back into her bag. But she pulls out a fifty dollar bill. She doesn't look away from me as I watch her toss it into our glass tip jar. I may have just pissed her off, judging by the look she gives me.

"Anything in particular from the case?" I ask her next, grabbing the tongs and holding onto the box, "We've got just about everything, as you can see. These are filled with raspberry, those are the cream filled long johns, and there's always a caramel long john topped with bacon."

She looks up at me, "Is that good?"

I shrug, "You'd be surprised… I think it takes the older generations back to their childhood. My Pop used to eat them because his Pop did when he was kid and so on…"

She smiles then, almost a cheeky smile, "Two of those, please. You pick the rest, but those big ones are my favorite… filled with apple, right?"

I laugh and nod, "I will throw in an extra one for you."

I pick about twenty items before tying the box shut and handing it over to her. She thanks me again, and we stare at each other a moment. When her eyebrows rise just slightly, I mentally kick myself.

"Oh, right, your wrap… that'll be just a minute. I'm sorry, I almost forgot."

"No problem, I'll just wait over here."

I busy myself with fixing her wrap; extra hummus just like she asked and I can feel my face heating up. She has the decency to look around the store while I work. But I look up when another customer makes their way up to talk to her.

"Shit! I know who you are!" the customer says, "You're Katniss Everdeen! I can't believe it's really you! You were in that movie… what was it? _Cold Mountain_! I cried so hard when I saw it! And you even won the Oscar for it! Tell me, what's Jude Law like in real life? Does he really talk like that?"

Katniss is kind and gracious enough to smile, although she looks a little terrified, "Jude is very nice and great to work with…"

"Can I get a picture with you? And can I have your autograph? And are you really dating Zac Efron? He's he really that hot in real life… he just has to be."

"Um…" she falters, not really sure what question to answer first, "I've never actually met Zac… we only did voiceovers for an animated film and I actually couldn't make it to the premier because I was… um… busy, I guess."

The fan didn't even listen to her response, "This is just too cool… can I get a picture?"

They have their phone out before Katniss can answer. And before that fan leaves her alone, there's more in line to meet her. What surprises me is that she gives each one of them a moment of her time, even though it's clearly her day off. By the time she's done snapping pictures and writing autographs, her cheeks are red and I can tell she's looking for the nearest exit. But at this point, the people who've already met her have gone and told everyone on Huntington Road that Katniss Everdeen is in Mellark's Bakery. I quickly finish bagging her wrap up and make my way over to her.

"Come on, this way," I tell her, guiding her out the back of the bakery.

When I touch her shoulder, I can feel her shaking.

"Jo," I shout to the back, "Watch the register."

I momentarily hear Jo's response, and when I look at her, she's got her mouth hanging open. She watches me leave.

"Thresh, help Jo, please…"

I hear his response while I lead Katniss through the back door and out into the alley behind the bakery. She's breathing heavily by that time.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, feeling sorry for her.

"I am, yes…" she says, "Thanks for getting me out of there."

I watch as she pulls out her cell phone. She presses one button and holds it to her ear. And waits for someone to answer.

"Hey, it's me," she tells whoever she just called, "Yeah, can you send a car? I'm fine; I just thought I could go through without getting noticed… I know… Haymitch, I'm fine… I'm sorry," she holds the phone away from herself, stops pacing and looks at me, "Where am I?"

"Gahls' Alley, north side of Huntington Road," I tell her.

She repeats what I said into the phone twice before hanging up and we're both quiet for a moment while she goes back to pacing.

"I'm Peeta… Mellark," I say eventually.

She stops and gives me another timid smile, "Katniss Everdeen," she shakes my hand, "This is your bakery, then?"

I nod, "Started it when I was eighteen."

She seems impressed, "I came by the other night on a jog, and I could smell the bread… I decided to try it today."

"I'm glad you did."

We stare at each other then, for only a moment. The attraction we both feel towards each other is clear in this moment. I feel it when she looks at me and I know it's true when she comes at me, fast. My back hits the wall behind me and she's kissing me, hard. I kiss her back and for a moment we're a mess of lips, tongues and breath. She tastes of cinnamon and smells of apples. Her hands are stuck tightly to my sides as though she has no control to let go. My hands frame her face, holding her to me because I'm not sure I'll ever see her again if I let go.

But all too soon, bright lights of a black suburban appear down the alley and she pushes off me, breathing heavily.

The suburban stops and a man jumps out of the passenger's seat. He's medium height, but obviously strong, in a black tee shirt and black pants. He has a earpiece in his ear as well as Ray Ban shades over his eyes. The only unkempt thing about him is his medium length sandy blond hair and his unshaven beard. He glares at me, but he looks like he's been paid enough money to keep his mouth shut.

"Haymitch…" Katniss says, relief in her voice, "I'll be right there. Just wait, okay?"

The man, Haymitch, nods once before returning to the car. Katniss looks at me.

"Thanks again, Peeta," she says, smiling at me, "And I mean, for everything…"

And she's not only talking about the pastries and the veggie wrap, or the fact that I helped her get out of the bakery before any more people showed up… she's talking about that kiss too.


End file.
